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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — in sport
  5. fine — all right
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pound — a weight
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. spring — of water
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — for dogs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com